Flame in the Night
by Slinkies r ppl 2
Summary: Miakn is acting strangley and Hotaru is refusing money, what could be happoning whith them? What does it have to do with Mikan's past?
1. Chapter 1

The class was tense, it had been a hard day and they expected it wasn't going to get better. Mikan was unreasonably irritable today and no one could figure out why. It started this morning she came in five minutes late for class and after insulting Narumi had sat down next to Natsume with not so much a glance at Hotaru. She didn't smile she didn't daydream she just sat there staring out the window. Half way through the class she glance over at our little mind reader and Koko, who had seemed a little nervous, screamed. No one wanted to ask why. She was rather scary, not even the mean king was messing with her today.

Jinno-sensei was rambling on in the front of the class about one stupid subject or another. When, since he so obviously missed the memo, asked Mikan "Mikan why does the venom of box jelly fish work so quickly?", and she quite promptly said in the most monotone voice ever produced by our pretty brunette.

"Who gives a fucking damn you old geezer." And I swear the class got whiplash from how quickly they turned their heads. Jinno on the other hand was speechless…. for all of four seconds.

"What did you say?" He whispered his voice dangerously calm. She stood up and walked up slowly to the front of the class in a very relaxed manner, stopping an inch from his face.

"I said you deaf old man that I don't give a fuck about anything you've had to say up here, so why don't you shove it up your ass. Or is that stick taking up to much room?" Gasps and murmurs filled the room. His face turned red and steam was practically pouring out of his ears.

"You insolent little...!" He raised his hand to strike her when Hotaru suddenly separated the two and turned to Mikan, brushing off her complaints and insults more easily than one should have been able to.

"Mikan?"

"What you frigid bitch?" The class flinched, expecting the Baka-gun or another weapon but there was nothing.

"How long has it been since you've slept?" Natsume looked up from his manga for the first time in a while and examined Mikan. For the first time he notice how puffy her beautiful eyes were and the dark circles hidden by faint make up. If he had to guess he would say it had been a while. Hotaru snapped in front of Mikan's face, "How long?"

"None of your damn business, so leave me the fuck alone!" She screamed. "Stop asking stupid ass questions you know I won't answer. Do yourself a favor and don't waist you time on failed endeavors." The ice queen sighed heavily.

"That's what I thought." She turned to the still fuming teacher and apologized explaining that they would have to leave early today. He was more than happy to have them leave his room for the remainder of the class. So Hotaru, herding a vicious profanity spewing Mikan out and into the halls towards the dorms, left.

Everyone breathed a breath of fresh air as the mood lightened in the room to one of mild worry. The teacher had left the room to speak to the principal so the children were left to their own devices. Chatter fluttered spontaneously around the room while Ruka sat flabbergasted. Natsume however took a proactive approach and went right to Koko our trembling physic friend.

"Eh," He looked up stopped trembling a little, "explain." He looked like he was about to say something then began to shake his head violently, no"

"N-n-not even if you p-paid me." He whispered.

_Why not?_ Natsume was getting impatient. He was about to burn something. Koko stilled.

"Go ask Mikan if you want to know." He bit; he stood and walked past everyone leaving the room as quickly as possible. Sumire whistled in appreciation. She may not like Mikan but you got to appreciate quality work. She had spent precious time trying to scare, intimidate, and humiliate Mikan into silence with absolutely zero success. While she in a matter of minutes broke Koko, who has seen ever dark secret the world has ever had to offer in the minds of others, into a pile of whimpering saw-dust, impressive if she may say so herself. But all she had to say at the moment was three simple words.

"Now I'm curious."

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It took half an hour to get a struggling Mikan into Hotaru's room and another half hour to tie her down to the bed so that Hotaru could run some tests. General such as a cardiac stress test, neurological function, a panel of drug tests, and so on. It came up clean like she knew they would, but she had to check anyways. Sighing in resignation she pulled a chair up next to Mikan. After the first few tests she had been gagged to keep her quiet. Let's face it; it's easier to run high level equipment when it's silent. Removing the gag she looked at the sulking girl and tried one more time. "When was the last time you slept?"

"When was the last time you smiled, you icy cow?" She hissed mockingly. Hotaru shrugged.

"My way it is." She pulled out a syringe filled with a murky liquid and stuck it in Mikan's arm.

"Ow! What the hell was that for? What the fuck was it?" She growled and struggled against the restraints.

"A cocktail of pain killers, uppers, downers and hallucinogens. Which, I have recently found out, work in the same way as the truth telling serum the academy uses on us sometimes without the nasty headache. But you do fall into a two day coma, a little bug that still needs to be worked out." Mikan groaned.

"Oooh, we've got a smart one here don't we?" Her speech slowed and her eyes were getting glassy. Her limbs felt heavier than normal.

"So let's try this again. When was he last time you slept?"

"The last time I slept was…" her speech was slurry and slow but at least now she was cooperating now. "… the day after exams." Hotaru's face remained calm but she was honestly shocked.

"Nine, almost ten days… that's a very long time. You idiot, a human can only live eleven days without sleep. Why didn't you…?" She shook her head. _I'll yell at her once she's better._ Resting her head in her hand she suddenly looked very tired. "Are the dreams back?" Every inch of her was praying to god this wasn't the case.

"No," Hotaru relaxed slightly, only for Mikan to follow up with, "the night-terrors are," before falling into a deep slumber.

_Oh shit…_ This is bad. Really bad.


	2. Chapter 2

**N**atsume paced nervously around the campus and if you didn't know better you would think he was looking for Mikan, but we know better. He was just in a restless mood and that feeling in the pit of his stomach that seemed like worry was indigestion. We knew this because this was Natsume. The Natsume. He doesn't worry about others. Especially Mikan, who had been missing all day. Mikan, who had been acting so strangely today. Especially her.

And because we knew this, when he decided to pay Hotaru a visit we knew it was clearly out of boredom, just boredom. Yes boredom, he was bored because Ruka was off doing something Ruka-ish. He arrived at Hotaru's door and knocked curtly. He had started to debate just opening the door himself when she answered. Her face was set in impassivity and she stared at him patiently before sighing heavily.

"What?"

"Ruka here?" Hotaru raised an eyebrow. _Nice way to around the point._

"No." She started to close the door, but something stopped her. _Damn._ She turned back to him and looked him in the eyes. "He just left."

"Where did he go?" He was starting to get somewhere, he knew if Ruka had already been here he would already know what was going on. But he would need to talk to him first.

"He's in the medical ward…" She began, taking out a camera to record the moment. If she was going to tell him she was damn well going to get to see the look on his face.

"Why…" he was confused, why would he be there? His eyebrow was cocked but his face still held that detached aloofness it always did.

"Visiting Mikan." His blood felt like it froze in his veins, an icy shock running through his body. Mikan was in the hospital. The world slowed around him, his pulse quickened and his breathing swallowed. Somewhere in the distance he heard a faint snap of a camera before he turned and ran down the hall.

Laughing quietly to herself Hotaru examined her newest photo. His face was pale, his eyes wide, and his mouth slack. He looked positively terrified. She would make a killing for this. Closing the door and sitting at her work table. She made plans copies and posters. Distribution was the hardest problem. She wanted to make this irreproducible and rare. But as with all of her pictures the original would remain hers. She should probably show it to Mikan first. Mikan. Her hands began to shake again. Closing her eyes against the day. She let herself sink back into that day

_It was snowing, falling softly to the ground undisturbed. I walked to the field, wondering at the stillness of the air. She should be rocketing out of some obscure spot any moment know. Mikan always did the same thing. I waited and waited getting all the way to the playground alone. She hadn't come yet. Maybe she was still sleeping. Cutting through the neighbors backyards to her house I knocked on the door. Her grandpa answered in the kind way he always did._

"_Good morning, Hotaru. What brings you here?" I looked up into his eyes and hand to stop from snorting at him. Wasn't it obvious?_

"_Is Mikan-chan awake yet?" I asked coolly. His eyebrows snapped together and all of a sudden he looked worried. _

"_I thought she spent the night at your house again." I tilted my head to the side. Why would he think that?_

"_Nuh-uh. She went home just before it got dark like you told her to." Was she not her? Where else would she be but here. "Didn't she come home?" His face got really pale like the snow. He looks sick._

"_No. She didn't come home." He patted me on the shoulder like he was trying to make me feel better. Was Mikan in trouble? "Why don't you come inside for some hot chocolate? It's cold out here." He led me to the kitchen and sat me down before hurrying out to use the phone in the hallway. I was curious so I snuck to the door and listened. I knew I shouldn't, but I wanted to know. The closer I got the better I could hear. He was still far away so I only heard bits. So I got quiet and listened really hard._

"_Yes your daughter is fine… she hasn't seen her… please call me if…" I heard him hang up the phone and pick it up again. But he only pushed a few numbers this time. "Yes I need to report… she is seven…brown eyes…hair…no one has seen her since yesterday… she's missing." I jumped back from the door. Missing that can't be right. The snow howled bitterly outside the beginnings of a storm but my insides felt colder still. Mikan is… is… gone._

I was jolted from the cold snow of the day by my phone. That's right I almost forgot deadlines to meet.

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He sprinted down the halls ignoring the quizzical stares from the other students. It felt like he couldn't breathe. His chest was painfully tight. And something akin to terror rampaged through his mind. What could have happened? He leaves her alone for one second and she ends up in the hospital. Had someone hurt her? If so, who? Was she going to be okay? One question after another bursting to the surface only to be trampled down by five more. His head was light and his lungs by the time he reached the medical ward. He slammed his hands onto the counter startling the young woman who sat behind it.

"Sakura Mikan. Which room?" His tone left no room for questions. Everything else about him at that moment left no room for objections. Slightly flustered she hesitantly answered back.

"R-room 215." Pointing down a corridor to her left. Calling after him as he turned to run there. "Please be quiet, it's the intensive care wing."

Counting the numbers on the doors. 156… 189…211… until at last room 215. Slamming open the door he stopped dead in his tracks. Ruka was in the chair off to the corner head cradled in his hands. But it was Mikan he was focusing on, she lied motionless on the bed. Hair splayed around her like a halo. Hooked up to a respirator and IV. Monitors beeping in the background. Walking slowly to her side he looked down on her. She was so pale. The rosy glow gone from her cheeks, her sparkling eyes hidden behind her lids. She looked so fragile, so absolutely breakable it frightened him.

"Ruka," he said quietly as if not to wake her. Ruka's head sprang up. Realizing for the first time he was there. "What's wrong with her?" Ruka looked him over; Natsume probably looked as bad Ruka felt. And most likely felt several times over the initial force of finding Mikan like this than he did. He could barley stand to se her like this and he was just a close friend. For Natsume who, whether he was willing to admit it or not, who deeply cared for her, he could only imagine the hell he was in. He inhaled and began to explain shakily.

"She nearly died of sleep deprivation. She's under heavy sedation." He looked back at his hands as he continued to explain. "Hotaru says it's been almost ten days since she's slept. It doesn't sound like unless you know that the longest a human can go without sleep is eleven days before they can die of organ failure." He stopped and waited, almost as if he had to force himself to continue. Natsume. Focused on Ruka completely waiting to hear the rest. "I asked Hotaru what made her go that long without sleep. She didn't want to tell me but I kept pressing for an answer. Natsume, have you ever heard of a night-terror?"

"No."

"Neither had I, a night-terror is when you go to fall asleep you suffer from what I can only describe as a living nightmare. It's where you are fully conscious of your environment; you can feel everything, hear everything as if you were awake, but you can't move or scream as your worst nightmare comes alive around you. She was trapped inside her mind to be tormented by invisible demons. Hotaru wouldn't tell what it is that tormented her. She kept saying it wasn't right for her to say. I even offered money but she wouldn't take it. All Hotaru would say is that she probably tried to hide it so she wouldn't worry us. Staying awake to avoid them. Until she suffered a near mental break yesterday morning. But what I can't stop thinking about is we… we could of helped her. Maybe if we had just noticed. Or just paid attention. Because no matter how much I think about it I can't think of one thing off until yesterday. I didn't notice anything." Ruka looked on the brink of tears and Natsume just kept looking at her small face. Searching for something. Searching for what had made him miss this. He was supposed to know everything about her. But… he whispered to himself.

"I didn't notice either."


End file.
